Safe Injection Practices for Your Herd
It is important to follow BQA principles and label directions when giving injections. Subcutaneous injections (i.e., under the skin) should be given in either the neck or elbow pocket. All …
Hair Shedding in Cattle
Hair shedding in cattle is important because it allows cattle to better handle hot and humid conditions. Hair shedding is a moderately heritable and thus some breed associations are collecting …
Fertilizer and Your Herd
Fertilizer, especially nitrogen fertilizer is a key part of a forage management plan for many producers. If nitrogen fertilizer applications are reduced because of price concerns or other reasons it …
Neck Access in Squeeze Chute for Injections
When giving injections it is helpful to consider how the squeeze chute is designed, so that the best access to the neck of the animal is available. Some chutes are …
Trace Minerals
Meeting trace mineral requirements is important for cattle performance and health. However, exceeding trace mineral needs does not result in improved performance and depending on the amount of excess can …
Cow Size
Cow size is often overlooked when considering stocking rates, which can easily lead to overstocking. For example, if 4,500 pounds of forage per acre was available for consumption reasonable stocking …
Biosecurity
Biosecurity is an often overlooked component of a good herd health program. Following some basic biosecurity practices can help prevent disease transmission, reduced growth, and reproductive losses. A basic component …
Reproductive Records
Keeping good reproductive records is important for cow-calf operations. These records are critical when determining the financial success of the operation and they can also help identify minor health or …
Evaluate Forage Availability
Spring is generally the time of greatest forage production for most producers in Texas, Oklahoma, and the Southeast. If excess forage is not available during this time of year then …
Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD)
Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) is a disease that can cause reproductive losses, reduced performance, and suppression of the immune system. The most common route of transmission is exposure to persistently …